Thursday, November 1, 2012

Octopus Giardiniera in Naples

In Naples, on our last day in Italy, we stumbled into an unexpectedly gourmet restaurant. The entire menu was hand written in Italian and we didn't understand most of it. Starving, I pointed to something affordable with an ingredient I recognized (giardiniera) and ordered it. Turns out the word on the menu BEFORE giardiniera isItalian for octopus! I'd unknowingly ordered fresh octopus on a bed of pickled cauliflower, carrots and broccoli! Fortunately I love sushi. But I still can't believe I'd blanked on what to expect for giardiniera: it's a standard component for all my Bloody Marys!